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In this edition of “Monkey Talk” we chat with Dr. Jeff Roberts, Associate Director of Primate Services, and JoAnn Yee, manager of the center's Pathogen Detection Laboratory Core, about their recent travel to Borneo and Thailand to share their expertise in working with nonhuman primates (NHPs) with their overseas counterparts at two unique primate centers.
Nine Science Advocacy Groups Release White Paper on the Critical Role of Nonhuman Primates (NHPs) in Scientific and Medical ResearchThe paper highlights the essential role NHPs play in finding treatments for serious and life-altering conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Zika virus, HIV/AIDS and Parkinson’s disease WASHINGTON — The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) announced today the release of the white paper, The Critical
Expanded Capabilities for Basic Research and Therapeutic Trials
The CNPRC welcomes Dr. Chris Royer, DVM, PhD to lead the state-of-art Inhalation Exposure Core located within the CNPRC Respiratory Disease Center at UC Davis. Dr. Royer received his DVM and PhD degrees from Oklahoma State University. Prior to joining the CNPRC, Dr. Royer was an Associate Research Scientist and Director of Physiology for Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Applying a new approach to rhesus macaque groups to realistically model individual, family, and group health across the lifespan in human populations. Humans live in societies full of rich and complex relationships that influence our physical and mental health and well-being. In both human and nonhuman primates, social life, and its interaction with factors such as personality, influence our health in complex ways.
Monkeys and humans are similarly affected by deadly heart disease A collaboration between a team of pathologists from the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) and a cardiologist from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has resulted in the identification of an HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) disease model naturally occurring in genetically related rhesus macaques in the CNPRC colony. This finding is considered to be crucial for research into early diagnosis and potential treatments for HCM in both monkeys and humans.
Developing a strategy to prevent and treat Zika virus Research is beginning next week at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis to understand Zika virus. Leading the efforts are Drs. Koen Van Rompay, Eliza Bliss-Moreau, Paul Luciw and John H. Morrison at the CNPRC, and Dr. Lark Coffey, UC Davis. The rapid spread of the virus and potential connection to an otherwise rare birth defect have drawn plenty of attention from the public and from government officials.
Can loneliness make you sick? Loneliness is more than just a socio-emotional condition; it can be a significant cause of poor health, and is of special concern in the elderly. Also known as perceived social isolation, loneliness reflects a discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships, and has been known to be a major risk factor for chronic illness and mortality in humans for more than a quarter century.
Prozac (fluoxetine), a commonly prescribed drug for anxiety and depression, is used during pregnancy by some women. But several studies are showing that prenatal exposure to the drug may increase the risk of having a child with autism.
Prozac, Zoloft (sertraline) and Paxil (paroxetine) are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) – a class of antidepressants. SSRIs can cross the placenta, and it’s possible that exposure to the drugs affects fetal brain development, the researchers say.
A new understanding of how some infants may resist HIV disease
When a person is infected with a virus their immune system is normally activated to respond to and control the infection. However, when a person is persistently infected with HIV, the chronic activation and overstimulation of the immune system is associated with disease progression. HIV is unique in that it directly attacks the cells of the immune system, breaking down the body’s defenses. Once the adaptive immune system is alerted to an HIV infection, it responds by producing HIV-specific CD4+ T cells.
Gene therapy treatment developed at the CNPRC shows benefits to brain cells for Alzheimer’s patients
Reporting on the first-of-its-kind human clinical trials designed to test the potential benefits of nerve growth factor gene therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, CNPRC affiliate scientist, has found that an experimental gene therapy he developed at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis reduces the rate at which nerve cells in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients degenerate and die (Tuszynski, M. H., et al. (2015).
